Exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee

I first learned of the Corps of Discovery in grade school, led by the duo of Lewis and Clark, who famously explored the Louisiana Purchase for 2½ years. Meriwether Lewis, hand-picked by President Thomas Jefferson, and Lewis’ friend, Clark, and some four dozen others set off in 1804 to explore and detail as much of the new territory as possible.

It was a daunting undertaking with no reliable maps, few trails, and nothing more than a naïve eagerness to see beyond the next horizon.

My youthful imagination admired the very gall of it all, and especially the duo leaders’ determination and accomplishments, which, in essence, presented Americans with over 800,000 acres of new land. Reinforced by wonderful biographers such as Stephen Ambrose, my admiration only grew.

The Final Resting Place of Meriwether Lewis

So, it was with amazement later in life, on a trip to Nashville, that I found that Meriwether Lewis, one half of the team of heroes of my youth, had died an ignominious death and lay beneath a non-descript monument in a Tennessee field alongside the Natchez Trace.

A Serendipitous Journey

Some of the best road trips come from serendipitous events, such as my picking up a brochure in a hotel lobby that mentioned several sites along the Trace, one of which included Mr. Lewis’ final resting place. So it was that my wife, Kathy, and I took our first trip on the famed Natchez Trace Parkway.

Exploring the Natchez Trace Parkway

The best trips are those that don’t have an agenda, letting chance be your guide. The Natchez Trace Parkway lends itself to just such an adventure.

A 444-mile scenic drive through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, it’s a two-lane ribbon of well-maintained tarmac that penetrates the interior of the mid-south. In 1938, it was designated as a National Scenic Byway that is preserved and maintained by the National Park Service.

Today’s Trace follows the historic forest trail created by Native Americans centuries ago and utilized by early European and American explorers, traders, and immigrants in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Notably, young men routinely floated their farm products on flat boats down the Mississippi River and on to New Orleans. Instead of trying to pole their way back against the might of the river, they would sell off their boats and walk their way back north on the Trace.

One famous boatman was a youthful Abraham Lincoln.

The Start of Our Journey

With nothing more than the notion to see where Meriwether Lewis was buried, we decided to pursue the northern end of the Trace, just outside Nashville, TN.

Every road trip includes a hearty breakfast, and there is none better served than at the Loveless Café, a quintessential Nashville dining experience in the shadows of the Trace.

Dining at the Loveless Café

A modest single-story, green-shingled, white clapboard house on the side of Highway 100, adjacent to the Trace, the Loveless has been serving up mouth-watering vittles since 1951. It all starts with their biscuits.

The made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits, slathered with homemade preserves, are enough to induce a steady stream of diners.

A bar-b-que pulled-pork omelet (it’s Tennessee after all), chicken-fried steak, over-easy eggs, and a side of grits fueled our Trace adventure. As we started to leave, our waitress presented us a bag of fresh hot biscuits “for the road.”

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The Journey on the Natchez Trace Parkway

From the Loveless, we entered the Trace, crossing the double-arched bridge that spans Birdsong Hollow. Rising 155 feet above the valley floor, the bridge carries Trace travelers 1,648 feet across the valley.

We were soon rolling through an avenue of budding trees under cloudy skies threatening rain. The terrain is gently rolling, sometimes downright flat, and the views are of forests and fields. The early season trees had yet to leaf out, leaving the ornamental color of a few Red Buds to announce the coming of spring.

The trees occasionally thinned out and gave way to open meadows with a few contented cows, followed by a ploughed field. In the distance, a rust-red roofed barn stood suspended in time. A couple of vultures soared overhead, and with little in the way of other traffic, we wondered their intent.

Exploring Stops Along the Trace

If you travel the Trace, be prepared to mosey, to linger, and to observe. On the Trace, the journey is the goal, not the destination. And, as we discovered, there were several sites, some notable and some just fun, that compelled us to linger often.

Our path followed the disappearing remains of The Old Natchez Trace. Sometimes, it appeared as nothing more than a grass-covered defile parallel to our road.

Points of Interest

Every few miles, a historical sign compelled us to pull over, park our car, and explore on foot. Our first stop was Timberland Park (mile marker 437.2). There is an interpretive center with restrooms (take advantage of them, restrooms are few and far between) and a deck that overlooks the park.

The trails are based on old logging roads. For generations, the wooded property comprising Timberland Park was logged by hand and loaded onto wagons pulled by mules and horses.

At our next stop, we learned that General Andrew Jackson had utilized the Trace to march his Tennessee militia during both the Creek War and the War of 1812. During one particularly trying journey, Jackson’s admiring soldiers gave their tough old general the nickname “Old Hickory.”

At mile 426, we found the War of 1812 Memorial. Erected in 2012, it honors the nameless who died as they marched to war and are buried along the Trace.

Approaching the granite monument, we noticed the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters covering the base of the memorial, placed by visitors who wished to pay their respects.

The Gordon House and Ferry Site

The Gordon House and Ferry Site (407.7) is a circa 1818 homestead that housed the husband-and-wife operators of a ferry across the nearby Duck River. As I traipsed through the dew-covered grass, I found it somewhat stark and a little imposing.

The boarded-up Gordon House I saw does not convey the welcome it once must have given to travelers and locals alike after a long walk. Captain Gordon served with Jackson during the war. The house is one of the few structures left from the Trace’s early days.

Our pace was decidedly laid-back. You aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. The maximum speed limit on the Trace is only 50 mph, with much of it limited to 40 mph. On more than one occasion, we slowed to under 20 mph as we viewed the surroundings with little concern about approaching traffic.

In fact, we spied more bicyclists than autos.

The Natural World Along the Trace

There is a notable absence of manmade distractions. No billboards, utility poles, or roadside souvenir stands. Turkeys, deer, and coyotes were spotted; however, the most abundant sightings were the black vultures and armadillos, in many cases the former hovering over the prostrate bodies of the latter.

Finding Jackson Falls

At Jackson Falls (404.7), one of the Trace’s most popular sites, a steep trail 900 feet long took us to the base of the falls. A nice stretch of our legs brought us to a double-tiered cascade.

Jackson Falls drops 40 feet over beautifully sculpted cliffs, making a 90-degree turn before spilling like a curtain into a clear pool as it follows the stream’s descent into the Duck River.

The Old Natchez Trace

On a ridge 300 feet above the Duck River, we found a well-preserved 2,000-foot long section of the original Old Natchez Trace. The 15-minute walk took us to the end of the trail and back.

As we tripped over the rutted trail filled with tree roots and well-worn rocks, I imagined the ordeal of early 1800s travelers who had to make 20 to 30 miles a day on foot or horseback across the rough trail.

A few miles onward, we found the Tobacco Barn (401.4). Built for Mr. Leland Greenfield in 1959 from timber grown on his farm. Entering through the sun-bleached doors into the aging structure, we found that it came complete with real tobacco hanging from the rafters, its dried leaves rustling in the wind.

Discovering the Falls of Fall Hollow Trail

At Fall Hollow Trail (391.9), we crossed over several small creeks as they converged into a pool at the bottom of a rock overhang. Almost immediately after leaving our vehicle, we could hear the water descending over the twenty-foot drop.

We followed another couple down a short trail, where we discovered a viewing platform, giving us wonderful views of the 20-foot tall waterfall.

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The Grave of Meriwether Lewis

Finally, nearly 80 miles into our day, we came upon the grave of Meriwether Lewis, which lies at mile-marker 385.9. Captain Meriwether Lewis’ death is shrouded in mystery and shadowy circumstances.

Upon returning from the Northwest trek, he was appointed the first governor of the Louisiana Territory. During his time as Governor, his health deteriorated, he began to drink in excess, and claims of malfeasance were leveled against him.

In September of 1809, Lewis began a journey to Washington D.C. to defend himself against charges of mishandling government funds.

The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis

Lewis and his companions stopped on an October evening at Grinder’s Stand for lodging. Travelers were always seeking the few way-stations, or rude inns, available along the Trace.

They were always watchful of the highwaymen that waited for nightfall in search of easy pickings. The Grinder home was a remote inn located on the Natchez Trace run by Mrs. Grinder and her children. They provided food, lodging, and a warm fire to travelers in the middle of the wilderness.

Lewis secured a room for himself while his servants stayed in the stables. Later that evening, gunshots were heard, and Lewis was found with two wounds: one to the head and one to the chest. Lewis’s life ended on the morning of October 11, 1809, at the age of 35.

While most historians accept the fact that Lewis committed suicide, there are still more than a few who believe his demise was brought on by foul play, possibly by bandits or even the Grinders themselves. Lewis was buried a few hundred yards from Grinder’s Stand.

The Monument to a Life Cut Short

In a small meadow, surrounded by fallow fields, we found a somewhat stark cairn of stacked, cut limestone topped by a simple, erect but broken shaft of granite meant to symbolize a life cut short.

At the base of the shaft, President Jefferson is quoted, “His courage was undaunted…” It seemed a melancholy shrine for one of the nation’s great explorers. Yet, at the same time, maybe it best represents the man that spent a better part of life in the wilds.

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The Legacy of the Natchez Trace

Today, the site occupies a 900-acre tract maintained by the National Park Service that contains a reconstructed version of Grinder’s Inn, which provides a brief history of Mr. Lewis. Over two centuries after the event, we may never be able to discover exactly what happened that night long ago.

The Natchez Trace is a haven for those not in a hurry, who appreciate nature’s distractions and don’t mind being lost in thoughts and imagination.

Beyond our final stop of the day, The Natchez Trace Parkway continued on for several hundred miles, passing through Civil War battlefields, Elvis’ birthplace, Indian mounds, and cypress swamps. It’s a journey through three states and 10,000 years of history.

Our trip covered but a small portion of the trail, but it was a journey well worth taking.

If You Go:

To enter the Natchez Trace Parkway near Nashville, Tennessee, head southwest of downtown Nashville approximately 17 miles, following I-40 west and taking exit 192 (McCrory Lane), then travel about 5 miles on McCrory Lane to the parkway entrance.

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